IHE 6: The Silver Falcon, Eye of the Beholder
by Jenigoyle
Summary: Goliath's thoughts on Elisa continue...


In His Eyes Entry 6: The Silver Falcon, Eye of the Beholder, & Vows Jenigoyle  
  
Gargs belong to Disney and I only get happiness and pleasure (maybe a flame or two) in writing these stories. Again, thanks to Lily R, Daina, the Barracuda, and countless others who've helped, inspired, and encouraged me. Time to turn the floor over to Goliath.  
  
Manhattan, 1995 AD  
  
More startling events have happened since I last took my pen in hand.  
Broadway had an adventure of his own with Elisa the night Tony Dracon kidnapped Matt Bluestone, Elisa's partner.  
Elisa. I am happy to say the last few nights have smoothed over our relationship. Our conversations and routines have returned to normal. She seems completely at ease with me once more-perhaps a little more so than before.  
However I find a new.restlessness in myself when she is near. Her presence just seems more.prevalent. This does not bother me though; indeed, it is quite safe for me to admit that she is an important person in my life. In the clan's life.  
Broadway reported the night's events to us when he returned from the exploit. Apparently, Matt had gone missing (no one knew at the time that he had been kidnapped) and Elisa was worried about him. Broadway was at Elisa's apartment and found out from eavesdropping on her conversation on the telephone that Matt was indeed missing. He wished to aid her in finding him, and she tried to dissuade him. However, he persisted and she relented, allowing him to help her.  
To shorten the tale, she did eventually locate Matt and it came as little surprise that he had been taken by Dracon, who was apparently looking for lost jewels that his family had acquired generations ago. Broadway managed to help save Elisa and Matt from Dracon. Broadway was very pleased with himself, but not boastful. Elisa and I both praised his efforts, but nothing impressed me more than how Broadway's only real concern was to protect Elisa and aid her. Of all my clan, Broadway seems to have the most gracious and giving heart. I fear that he may be taken advantage of, and I sincerely hope that he is not hurt badly simply because he sometimes chooses compassion over caution. All Hallow's Eve came upon us. In modern times it has come to be known as Halloween. It is a celebration of the fall solstice, a time when spirits are thought to walk the earth. Even in tenth century Scotland, there were feasts honoring the dead and times when it was thought that they could roam freely. I was fascinated to learn that humans wear costumes on this occasion. The trio was especially excited, for they felt it was the perfect opportunity to roam among humans unnoticed. I had my doubts, but Elisa was rather.persuasive. She argued on the behalf of the clan, claiming that there could not be much harm while they were "under cover" and that the clan may not again be able to experience such a night. But to perfectly honest, it was our previous discussion that had truly changed my mind. I had just not let them know that yet-if I had even admitted it to myself. She first explained Halloween to me in the privacy of the library. She had told me all about the parties, the dances, and most of all, the colorful costumes humans wore. She had looked at me with a gleam in her eyes, saying, "Costumes that look so real, a real live 'monster' would look perfectly normal." I knew exactly what she had been trying to say, and immediately I told her that I could not risk having the clan out in public even under the guise of costumes. She had smiled at me then, and said, "I understand, Big Guy, but it might be the only time we could be out in public together." Was she talking about us-her and I?-or the clan? I would like to think the former. I pretended to ignore the slight blush that had come to her cheeks. I was torn-it warmed me that she wished me to walk the streets of Manhattan at her side, yet it unnerved me as well. I wanted to ask her what would happen that night, and the next night, and the night after that and the night after that. How could we deal with returning to the reality of a cruel veil between us after having it lifted if only in the guise of a fantasy night? She seemed to read my thoughts, for she had leaned close and nearly whispered, "Goliath, one night is better than none at all." It was getting harder and harder to say no as she came closer and closer. I paused to think about that. What if she was right? What if I passed the opportunity? Would I not regret it? Then I looked at her, at her hopeful smile, and I knew that if I did not seize the opportunity I would indeed regret it for the rest of my life. And so I relented, reassuring her that I would be with her for the night. Then I told the clan that we would participate in the night's activities. The look of pure joy on their faces nearly erased my worry, yet I could not shake the feeling that something would go wrong. It usually does. And it did. For several weeks before, a creature-a sort of werewolf-had been on a rampage through the city. Elisa had cornered it in a store downtown, but it had escaped. I was very distressed when she related the tale to me on Halloween night. She could have been hurt, and though I wanted to berate her for taking on the creature alone, I could not. She is as much a protector as I am, and instead of finding fault in her actions I could only feel more admiration and respect for her courage and determination. It is who she is. So instead of scolding her, I took her hand in mine and told her that I should have been there with her. She chided me gently, telling me that I could no more guard her all night than she could me all day. But then she said that it helped to know someone cared, and she touched me then, gently as ever. I swear I feel as though I wait with my breath held between her touches. Every time I feel the brush of her fingers, the warmth of her skin, I feel a joy and a peace that has long been denied me. She can sooth my darkest rages, I know, with a simple touch, a gentle caress. It is as if she brings me back, back to the gargoyle she respects and cares for. Wanting to get my mind off her attack, she told me to meet her at her apartment in a few hours and from there we would join the city's festivities. I agreed, and she smiled and left to finish her shift and prepare for the evening. However, our plans changed. She came back early and told me that there had been another sighting of the creature. We left, determined to pursue while its trail was still fresh. It did not take long for me to locate it-it was not shy and very noisy. I heard it blocks away. We found the creature in an ally and I attacked, placing Elisa to the side out of harm's way. And then Xanatos himself showed up, asking us to let him deal with the creature. Elisa was no more pleased to see him than I was. He attempted to remove a jewel that the creature was wearing around its neck, but some kind of magical energy struck him, sending him flying and reviving the unconscious creature. It attacked me yet again and I tried to reason with it, telling it that if Xanatos was its enemy then we were its friends. But the creature ran off into the night, leaving us with Xanatos. He flew off in his battle armor despite Elisa's command otherwise. I ran back to her as Xanatos took off in pursuit of the creature-I was heartbroken at the sight of my human friend crouched with her head in her hands. I gently pulled her to her feet and she immediately said we had to save the creature from Xanatos. She feared it was another of his mutates, like her brother. I knew how pained she was to talk about her brother, and I said nothing. I took her with me to the castle to confront Xanatos. But he shocked us by revealing that the creature was indeed Fox. Apparently the jewel she wore was the Eye of Odin, as Xanatos explained, and it had power to grant its wearer "power and insight." I did not know what to think; he seemed worried about Fox-the creature-whatever the blasted thing was. Elisa was unmoved, telling me to ignore him. Then I asked Xanatos why I should help him or Fox. His answer shook me to the core. "Because you know what it means to lose someone you love." Love? David Xanatos? I looked at him. Then I looked away in thought. Elisa pulled me away though, insisting that Xanatos was lying. Of course I believed her over him. I picked Elisa up and walked away from Xanatos. "A noble effort, Xanatos, but another failure." I could not resist. "Not a good night for you." And with that last hit, I took off with Elisa in my arms, determined not to give the man another thought. Fox, or whatever the creature was, was Xanatos's problem. This night was for me and Elisa. He would not ruin it. I took Elisa back to her apartment. I waited with Cagney as she changed. She stepped out of the bathroom and I turned to look at her, wondering what she would be wearing for a costume. I froze. My breath caught somewhere between a gasp and yelp. She was breathtakingly beautiful in an elegant medieval-style yellow ball gown, her hair swept up into an elegant but simple twist, part of it hanging over her shoulders. She must have seen my expression because she blushed and laughed, asking me what I was gawking at. I shook myself back to reality. "A very beautiful woman," I said without thinking in response to her question. Her eyes dropped as she thanked me. I smiled and offered my hand, which she took, and led her out the window, picking her up and taking off into the night. The night seemed so perfect-the sky was clear and warm, sounds of humans happily running about drifted from the streets below. We set down in a deserted ally and I put Elisa down. She put her arm through mine and led me towards the nearest bustling street. Holding my breath I walked with her, my senses tense and waiting to bolt with Elisa if we had to. But as we walked out among the humans, we were met with nothing but smiles and nods, and many, many compliments on our costumes, mine in particular. Elisa seemed more and more relaxed and happy as our evening went on. We walked down a street and she said something that I will cherish in my fondest memories for the rest of my life. "Come on. I've wanted to stroll down a city street with you for a long time." She took me to a dance then, and as a waltz began to play, took my hand with a smile and curtsied. I bowed, and then suddenly we were floating across the street, completely oblivious to the stares and smiles around us. Soon we realized we were drawing a lot of attention, and so Elisa decided we should look around the different performances. We stopped at a costume contest, which she said that I should try out for. I laughed with her and said that it would not be fair. I was not technically wearing a costume after all. She just grinned. We left after a long evening of food, dancing, and enjoying the performers and contests. Wanting to get away from the loud crowds we decided to take a little walk down a nearby empty street. We were just settling into a comfortable silence when a large wolf-like creature ran up to us, roaring. With a growl of my own I leapt forward, tackling the creature to the ground only to reveal a costumed human playing a prank. Letting him run off, I stood next to Elisa, once again pondering Xanatos and Fox. I told Elisa that I wondered if Xanatos was indeed telling the truth. We argued a bit, and then she asked if I was going to help him. I had just said yes when Xanatos himself came slinking out of the shadows. Elisa demanded to know how he found us, and to my annoyance pulled off a transmitter exactly like the one he had placed on me on the night we first awoke in Manhattan from my shoulder. I swore immediately that it would not happen a third time. We went with Xanatos and found the creature. Thankfully it seemed to dislike large crowds; it had kept itself away from the busy streets. We chased it-Fox-to a nearby rooftop. I did not take Elisa up there with me; I knew she would be annoyed with me, but I had to consider her safety. I knew she would forgive me anyway. Suddenly though, Xanatos was on the roof-with Elisa! Damn that man, I thought from my vantage point, bringing Elisa into danger like that! The creature appeared then, and I held my breath as Xanatos tried to reason with it. And then I felt my blood run cold as the creature suddenly flung itself at Elisa! Not thinking, I simply leapt out between Fox and Elisa, hurling the creature at a huge electrical sign. I rushed up and pinned it there, and Xanatos ripped the Eye from its neck. Without the eye, the creature began to transform back into Fox; Xanatos had actually been telling the truth. Elisa rushed to Fox, wrapping her in the skirt of her gown as I took the Eye from Xanatos. He said that I knew his weakness, but I sneered at him, telling him that only he would consider love a weakness. He simply walked away. Leaving him to Fox, I took Elisa and carried her home. As I landed on the balcony of her apartment, I set her down as I stayed crouched on the railing. There was a lot I wanted to tell her. "So," I began. She smiled. "So Xanatos was telling the truth," she finished for me. I looked down. "It was a good night, Goliath," she said slowly, cautiously. My eyes met hers again. "It.does not have to be the last," I said carefully. She looked away. "Of course not. We always have a good time," she said with a shaky laugh, deliberately ignoring what she knew I was talking about. "Well," she said jokingly, "most of the time." "Right," I said with a half smile. So that was how it had to be. "Well it's almost sunrise, Big Guy," she said. "You'd better get home." She smiled and I thanked her for the night as she turned and walked to her window. She looked back once more, our eyes meeting again. And I knew. Knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. I was in love with her. Completely. In. Love. No doubt, no question. No mercy. My fate was sealed. It had been, I realized, from the night I first met her. Saw her. Held her in my arms. She smiled and walked into the apartment, closing the window behind her, a firm but necessary reminder that the night was done. The fantasy was over. Looking back, our night had been short, shorter even than we had planned. Yet, in that one night, I felt like I loved her a lifetime.  
  
I guess the time was right For us to say  
  
We'd take our time and live our lives Together day by day  
  
We'll make a wish And send it on a prayer  
  
We know our dreams can all come true With love we can share  
  
With you I never wonder Will you be there for me  
  
With you I never wonder You're the right one for me  
  
I finally found the love of a lifetime  
  
A love to last my whole life through  
  
I finally found the love of a lifetime  
  
Forever in my heart I finally found the love of a lifetime  
  
With every kiss our love Is like brand-new  
  
And every star up in the sky Was made for me and you  
  
Still we both know That the road is long  
  
But we know that we will be together Because our love is strong  
  
I finally found the love of a lifetime  
  
A love to last my whole life through  
  
I finally found the love of a lifetime  
  
Forever in my heart I finally found the love of a lifetime.  
  
Well there's Eye of the Beholder, another popular G/E ep! Hope you all enjoyed, I know I haven't written a new IHE in a while. Lyrics were Lifehouse's Love of a Lifetime. Feel free to email me with comments and questions, anything on your mind! Next up will be Vows and City of Stone! Until sunset, my friends. 


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